Aria drifted in and out of awareness as Ronan carried her through Frostfall's dim corridors. Her limbs felt heavy, her pulse weak, but her mark still hummed softly—
Not wild like before.
Not burning.
Just… awake.
Ronan held her as if she weighed nothing. His arms were tense, protective, his jaw clenched hard enough to crack. He didn't speak, but the bond between them thrummed with emotion—
Fear.
Worry.
Fury.
And beneath it all… something softer.
He pushed open the door to her chamber with his shoulder, stepped inside, and gently laid her down on the bed.
Aria curled onto her side, breath uneven.
"Ronan… I didn't mean to lose control."
"You didn't," he said immediately, sitting beside her. "Your power surged. That's part of the awakening."
"It destroyed half the training hall," Aria whispered.
Ronan exhaled slowly. "Stone can be rebuilt. You can't."
She blinked at him. "You're not angry?"
"Angry?" he echoed softly. "Aria… I watched you lift a block with pure will. I watched you fight through pain most wolves never survive. I watched your power expand in seconds."
His eyes softened, and something inside her fluttered.
"I'm not angry," he said. "I'm impressed."
Her cheeks warmed. She looked away.
Ronan reached forward, brushing her hair from her face. "Rest now. You need it."
She wanted to ask him to stay—
Even just for a moment—
But before she could, a knock thundered at the door.
Three sharp, urgent taps.
Ronan stiffened, instincts flaring.
"What now?" he muttered, rising.
He opened the door just enough to see out.
A council guard bowed quickly. "Alpha Ronan, the elders request your presence. Immediately."
Ronan's voice dropped dangerously. "For what reason?"
The guard hesitated. "It concerns… the girl."
Aria's stomach twisted.
Ronan growled. "Her name is Aria."
The guard swallowed. "The elders insist you attend at once."
Ronan slammed the door shut.
Aria struggled to sit up. "They're going to punish me. Because of what happened."
"No," Ronan said sharply. "They don't decide that. I do."
"They want to restrict me," Aria whispered, remembering the council chamber. "Or isolate me. Or—"
Ronan knelt in front of her, smoothing a hand over her trembling one.
"They can want whatever they like. They will not get it."
Aria's throat tightened. "But I lost control. They're right to be afraid."
He leaned closer, voice low and fierce. "You are allowed to be afraid. They are not allowed to weaponize it."
She stared into his eyes, her heartbeat fluttering.
"Stay here," he said gently. "Rest. I'll deal with them."
"Be careful," she whispered.
Ronan's expression softened. "Always."
He left the room.
Aria sat alone, listening as his footsteps disappeared down the hall.
Her wrist pulsed faintly.
She wasn't sure if it was fear…
Or the bond tightening again.
⸻
Council Gathering
Ronan entered the council chamber with the presence of a storm.
The elders sat in a half-circle, Lyra standing among them as if she belonged there. All eyes turned to Ronan.
Lyra smirked faintly. "Alpha. We've been waiting."
Ronan didn't sit. "Say what you called me for."
Elda Merin folded her hands atop her staff. "Ronan, there is concern regarding the human girl—"
"Aria," Ronan corrected sharply.
The elder nodded. "Aria. Her power has grown unstable. The shockwave she unleashed in the training hall—"
"Is part of her awakening," Ronan said. "It was expected."
Lyra stepped forward. "No, Ronan. It wasn't."
Ronan turned his cold gaze on her. "You are not an elder. Sit down."
Lyra's jaw tightened. "I speak because the pack is frightened. What happened today traveled through Frostfall before the dust even settled."
"The pack will learn the truth," Ronan said, "when I choose to tell them."
Lyra ignored him and addressed the elders. "Aria destroyed infrastructure, injured multiple wolves—"
"Injured?" Ronan snapped. "No one was hurt."
"One wolf was thrown into a wall," Lyra said sharply. "He's recovering, but the point stands."
Ronan gritted his teeth. "Because he got too close. Against my orders."
Lyra smirked. "And whose fault is that? Aria's, or yours?"
Ronan stepped forward so quickly one elder gasped. "Try blaming her again and see what happens."
Lyra glared at him.
Elda Merin cleared her throat. "Enough. This tension helps no one."
Ronan exhaled sharply but stepped back.
Another elder spoke. "Ronan, we fear Aria's power is becoming too dangerous to leave unchecked. The council proposes temporary containment—"
"No." Ronan's voice was ice. "Absolutely not."
"It is not optional," an elder insisted.
Ronan's eyes glowed faintly. "You forget your place."
Lyra stepped closer to the circle of elders. "You forget yours, Ronan. You vowed to protect this pack. And now you choose one girl over hundreds of wolves?"
"She is one of us," Ronan said. "Moonborn. Protected by ancient decree."
"She is a threat," Lyra snapped.
Ronan's energy crackled.
Lyra continued, "Her power is growing faster than any prophecy predicted. What if she loses control again? What if next time she kills someone? What if next time she destroys more than stone?"
"She won't," Ronan said.
"How do you know?" Lyra demanded.
"Because I trust her."
Lyra laughed bitterly. "No. You're blinded by the bond."
Silence fell.
Ronan's jaw tightened, but he didn't deny it.
And that alone made the elders shift uneasily.
Lyra turned to them. "We must choose what's best for the pack."
Ronan spoke before any elder could respond. "Aria Hale will not be imprisoned. Not isolated. Not taken from my protection."
Lyra scoffed. "Protection? Or possession?"
Ronan bristled. "Say that again."
"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" Lyra stepped forward, eyes burning. "Tell me, Ronan — is this about the prophecy? Or about what you feel when she's near?"
Ronan's glare was lethal. "You don't know anything about what I feel."
"No," Lyra said softly. "But she does."
Ronan froze.
One elder cleared his throat. "Perhaps the Alpha is compromised—"
Ronan snapped his attention to the elder. "Choose your next words carefully."
But Lyra cut in.
"It's obvious, Ronan. Anyone can see it. The bond is influencing you."
Ronan didn't answer.
Lyra's eyes softened with bitterness.
"You used to listen to me," she whispered. "You used to trust me."
Ronan closed his eyes briefly. "Lyra… that time is gone."
Hurt washed across her face.
Then something colder replaced it.
"Then hear this, Alpha," Lyra said. "If you won't protect this pack, we will."
Ronan stiffened. "You dare challenge my judgment?"
"It's not a challenge," Lyra said. "It's a warning."
Elda Merin stood. "Ronan. The council has reached a vote."
Ronan's stomach tightened.
"Vote?" he echoed.
The elder nodded solemnly.
"Yes. A vote on whether Aria Hale should remain under your protection…
or be placed under council custody."
Ronan's eyes burned.
"No," he growled. "You cannot—"
"We can," Elda Merin said softly. "And we have."
Lyra met his eyes.
"The vote was unanimous."
Ronan's breath froze in his chest.
Aria.
They wanted Aria.
They wanted to take her.
Elda Merin looked at him with genuine sorrow. "Ronan… the council has ordered that Aria Hale be surrendered into council custody at dawn."
Ronan's entire body trembled with barely contained rage.
"No," he whispered.
"Ronan—" Elda Merin began.
He shook with fury. "NO."
Lyra's eyes shone with victory. "You no longer have authority over her."
Ronan stepped back, breathing hard.
"They'll take her," Lyra said. "And you will obey."
Ronan's voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
"I will burn this fortress to ash before I let you touch her."
A gasp rippled through the elders.
Elda Merin's eyes filled with sorrow. "You're forcing our hand."
Ronan didn't care.
He turned toward the exit—
But Lyra took one step forward and said the words that froze him:
"Ronan Hale, Alpha King of Frostfall…
you are hereby warned that interference will be considered treason."
Silence.
Ronan turned slowly.
"Treason?" he echoed.
Lyra lifted her chin. "If you fight the order, you fight Frostfall."
Ronan stared at her.
Stared at the council.
Stared at the people who were threatening the girl fate had tied him to.
His voice shook—not with fear.
With promise.
"If you take Aria," he whispered, "you will make me your enemy."
No one spoke.
Ronan walked out of the chamber without another word.
⸻
The Decision
Aria jolted awake in her room as her wrist throbbed sharply—
THUMP—THROB—
Something was wrong.
Something was coming.
Then—
Footsteps thundered down the hall.
The door burst open.
Ronan stood there, eyes blazing, breath uneven, hair disheveled like he had been fighting the world.
"Ronan?" Aria whispered. "What happened?"
He crossed the room in three strides.
And when he spoke, his voice broke.
"They're coming for you."
Aria's heart stopped.
"What?"
"The council," Ronan said, grabbing her hands. "They voted to take you away from me."
Her wrist pulsed wildly.
"No," she whispered. "Ronan—"
He pulled her close, forehead against hers.
"They're coming at dawn," he said. "And I won't let them."
Her throat tightened. "What are we going to do?"
Ronan's grip tightened.
"We run."